It was still dark and storming when Evan awoke. He glanced over to find Josh still sound asleep. Leaning over, he placed a kiss on Josh's forehead, who mumbled and snuggled deeper into the bed. Smiling, Evan slipped out of bed, and pulled on a pair of sweats and shirt.
Quietly, Evan made his way downstairs. The power was still out, and the candles throughout the house were burning low. Sighing, he made his way to the basement to grab another set of pillar candles. He quickly replaced most of the candles in the house, and finally made his way into the foyer. On the table beside one of the staircases was a small note that read: I know where you are.
Evan knew no one in the house had left that note, and he had a very clear idea of who had. Growling, he shredded the note, and threw it in the trash. It would be another hour before Evan returned to bed, going over each of the windows, and doors, making sure the house was secure.
----------
The rain continued through to Halloween. Josh and Evan had fallen into a routine once more, though Josh was now staying in Evan's room. They were changing into costumes they had gone to get the day before. Evan was putting the final touches onto his classic Dracula costume.
"Damn," said Josh, as he came out of the bathroom. He was wearing pale green tights, and a green tunic as part of his Peter Pan costume.
Evan turned and flashed a grin, showing of the prosthetic fangs. "Yes, angel?"
Josh grinned as he took in Evan's Victorian outfit, complete with the red ruffles at the neck and wrists. With his hair slicked back, and black contacts rather than glasses, he looked dark and mysterious.
Josh stepped forward, and slid his arms around Evan's neck. "Bite me," he said as he leaned in for a kiss.
Evan smirked before pressing a soft kiss to Josh's lips. As they parted, he lightly bit Josh's bottom lip, giving it a tug before releasing. "Consider yourself bitten."
Josh grinned as he stepped away. He quickly pulled on the leather belt of his costume, and stepped into the soft leather shoes. As he placed the hat on his head, he asked, "So, what exactly does this party entail?"
Evan chuckled. "Nervous?" When Josh nodded, Evan stepped forward and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Don't be. Its tradition. Every year, my family opens the house at Halloween. Anyone can come in, have some cider, candy, visit, and enjoy themselves. As far as I know, there aren't many other parties on Halloween in River Bluff." He smiled and slipped his arms around Josh's waist. "And the kids love to come here, seems we give out the best candy."
Josh sighed as he shook his head. "I would fall in love with a socialite, wouldn't I?"
Evan smirked. "I'm hardly a socialite, love."
Moments later, they found themselves handing out mugs of hot cider to guests, and candy to the children of the town. The evening passed, and before long, the last of the guests were leaving. It was nearly midnight, as Evan carried the last of the dirty mugs into the kitchen, and began to load the dishwasher. "So, did you enjoy yourself?"
Josh nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad its over though. Where is everyone else?"
Evan closed the dishwasher. As he stood, he slid his arms around Josh's waist. "In bed, Talia and Alex have school in the morning, and Mom and Gram are usually in bed long before now." As he leaned in for a kiss, a soft roll of thunder could be heard in the distance, and the first drops of rain began to peck at the windows. Evan sighed and rested his forehead against Josh's. "More rain."
Josh smiled, and leaned up to press a kiss to Evan's mouth. "Just the season I suppose."
Evan nodded. "Its usually rainy in the fall." He glanced around the kitchen, taking in the stack of dishes that would need to be done in the morning. He turned back and pulled Josh in against him, hugging him close. "We should go on to bed, angel."
Josh pulled back and smirked. "You just want to get me naked."
Evan grinned. "Of course I do. There'd be something wrong if I didn't want to get you naked."
Josh shook his head and rolled his eyes, the small smile betrayed his amusement though. "Right."
As they made their way out of the kitchen, Evan switched off the lights. He was turning off the lights in the music room, and moving into the foyer when he noticed Josh standing and staring at something in his hands. As Evan came up behind him, he noticed the small folded piece of paper in his hands. Written upon it were the words: I'm watching. It only took Evan a moment to notice that Josh was trembling. Quietly, he slid his arms around Josh's slender waist, and pulled him back against him. "Don't worry, baby. He can't hurt us."
Josh turned in the circle of Evan's arms, and looked up at him. "Yes. He can."
----------
"His name is Tom Ryland," began Josh. Evan sat beside him on the bed in his room, listening to his story. "I met him when I was 19. At first, it was great, he treated me well, took me out, bought me things. And then about six months after we started dating, he invited one of his friends over. One thing led to another, and I ended up in bed with both of them." Josh hung his head and sighed. "That is when the abuse started. He beat on me, told me I was worthless, called me a whore. But that wasn't the worst part." When Josh looked up, there were tears in his eyes. "He let his friends use me as their personal fuck toy. They paid him, and I bent over and took it...or Tom would beat me until I'd submit."
At this point, Evan was red faced with rage. He slid one arm around Josh's waist and pulled him close. "Its okay, angel. He won't hurt you again, I promise." Josh just sat there silently.
The night passed slowly, with sleep coming in spurts for Evan. By the time the sun rose, he had long since given up sleeping, and instead was downstairs in the kitchen, scrubbing every surface he could. It was grey outside, with rain falling in sheets, and thunder rolling through the sky. He didn't notice the soft footsteps behind him, nor the familiar smell of perfume. In fact, it wasn't until she cleared her throat, that Evan whipped around in surprise to see his grandmother Eva.
Smiling, Eva sat on one of the barstools at the island. "Something on your mind dear?"
Evan huffed, and turned back towards the sink to resume scrubbing the pot he had in one hand. "Oh, what makes you think that, Gram?" he asked as he furiously scrubbed the inside of the pot.
Eva glanced about as she answered. "Oh, I don't know. Perhaps the fact that you have the kitchen clean enough that if light were shined on it, you could signal the Moon? Or the fact that if you keep scrubbing that pot, you'll wear the bottom out of it."
With a sigh, Evan's shoulders drooped as he set the pot aside. "There was another note left in the house last night," he said without turning around. "He was here. Josh is terrified, I didn't sleep much, and...I don't know..." He turned as he heard his grandmother rising from the barstool.
